Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: scaler911

Order: Guest Contributor

Location: Vancouver WA

Cat II (USA Cycling), Cat III (OBRA), also weekend warrior/ armchair cycling critic.

@scaler911's activity:

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spri...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @xyxax I stay away from getting that skinny these days. The extra couple Kg’s keeps me healthier, and to be totally honest, I don’t race nearly as much as I did when I was in my 20′s (when I had delusions of going to Europe and chasing a pro contract). … »

Bicycles and automobiles- can’t we all just get along? @Kah writes about this universal (do aliens have this issue also?) problem of us co-existing with humans in cars. We all drive cars too and have cursed the occasional cyclists for some good reason. Cars are our greatest threat. We can crawl away from our own bicycle crashes, thanks very m...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. Lately, I’ve been trying to be more of a “hey, at least they’re out riding” kind of guy. That is until I receive unsolicited advice on my choice of kit/ bike/ position relative to the fog line. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it always comes fr… »

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spri...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @xyxax The problem with BMI is it can be inaccurate regarding body fat %. Putting my height and weight into a BMI calculator, I average ~21.5, and ~20.5 would be where I get sick.  But, what I do know (personally) is that I’m 180cm- and 72.5Kg normally…. »

  2. @xyxax I was just having this discussion yesterday. I think part of the problem is weight, specifically body fat content. While I have no scientific evidence of why, I’ve noticed that when I drop below a certain Kg, I tend to get respiratory infections … »

We are the Keepers of the Cog.  In so being, we also maintain the sacred text wherein lie the simple truths of cycling etiquette known as The Rules. It is in our trust to maintain and endorse this list.See also The Prophet’s Prayer. Continue reading...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @the Engine Ya, but the fuckwad article and the jerk common- tatering after were a bit much. Guess I’m a “Fred/ Mamil”. AND, I can state for a fact, that COTHO has never been any influence in my choice of cycling kit. »

We close out the 6 Days of the Giro with our sixth and final installment.A body at rest, stays at rest. A body in motion, stays in motion. Things get a bit more ambiguous when it comes to a body on a bicycle tearing down a twisty mountain descent at speed, particularly in the rain. But it is here, on the boundary between clarity and ambiguity, wher...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @PeakInTwoYears Back in the 90′s, I learned that cornering thru 90deg corners in crits, it made sense to keep the bike more upright pressing on the opposite drop from the direction of the turn, sorta “steering” the bike thru the corner, rather than lea… »

  2. @PeakInTwoYears Not really. I may be doing it wrong, but I mostly use pressure like I would when downhill skiing fast. If I’m wanting to turn right, I lean the bike some to the right and apply pressure to my left pedal, as if it was the inside edge of my… »

  3. The only reason to go up a hill, is to go down it as fast as fucking possible. Grippy rubber and lack of self preservation are the keys.  »

Day 5 of the Six Days of the Giro continues with an impromptu VSP event.Lets have a look at where we are in the 2013 Giro. Wiggins must have spent time training in Luxembourg because he’s been descending like a Schleck when things get dodgy before disappearing into the team van to have a cry about it. Hesjedal has put in some good moves and...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @frank Ah yes then. As I stated in when I sent in my dispute, I’ll go ahead and fuck off now………. »

  2. @frank I didn’t think you guys (Keepers) were eligible for the “special badges”. Protest filed! (you do look good in pink tho, just sayin’). »

  3. This.  VSP PICKS: 1. Nibbles 2. Sammy Sandwich 3. Hey Sink 4. Cuddles 5. Wiggo »

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spri...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. I’m sitting OK right now. I could make a swap, but like someone else mentioned, it seems kinda “anti-V”. If I didn’t have over 30pts right now, I may be more inclined swapping Cuddles and Wiggo, and punting the Canook. »

  2. Nibbles! Nibbles! Nibbles! »

We’re into day four of the Six Days of the Giro series, let’s talk trash. Yes the Tour de France started a few years before the Giro and has always been credited as The Tour to win. You win the Giro, you are a stud. Win the Tour and you are a stud for life. Why is that? Is the Tour longer, tougher, more murderous, more beautiful? In the 20...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. That about covers it. @Frank handled the rest………… »

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We’re into day three of the Six Days of the Giro series, and it’s time to hit the dirt.If ever a Keepers Tour goes to Italy, then we’re doing this climb. No doubt. Climbing on gravel up a real mountain, what’s not to love? Continue reading...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @frank No. It’s just out of PDX. But I can take you there when you come down next month. ~100K round trip from my place, and I did it on my regular road rig. Just have to stay in the “tracks”. »

  2. @Buck Rogers Ya it’s heaven alright. Torture. ANd it is pretty steep too, tho I do agree with you about the graphs. I usually find that they’re steeper on the road than they tell you when using say “mapmyride” to plan out a route. PDX Cogal #1 was a good… »

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @zeitzmar Nice! »

  2. @stupidnoob Nice. Looks like you have the same seatpost affliction that Frank has. »

We’re into day three of the Six Days of the Giro series, and it’s time to hit the dirt.If ever a Keepers Tour goes to Italy, then we’re doing this climb. No doubt. Climbing on gravel up a real mountain, what’s not to love? Continue reading...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. Great racing! We have a little gem here in P-Town called “Otto Miller”. It’s a soul crusher:  »

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. While not a race rig, this is a project I just finished for a Developmentally Delayed couple. They donated it to the local Blind School. Story here: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/may/07/couple-tandem-bike-stolen-donate-bicycle-vancouver/ Slid… »

We continue our Six Days of the Giro series with a look at the troubled bond between Marco Pantani and the Giro.Some were meant to be tormented, as though it were preordained that their brilliance should be balanced with fatal flaws. These are tortured souls, whose dramatic highs are equalled only by the devastating depths of their lows. Continu...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. I loved, loved watching that little dude go uphill, doping be damned. Passion, in cycling, is not something you can inject into your thigh. As to the other rantings about slang above, well, I’m the least qualified person on the site to discuss that. I ca… »

We here at the Velominati have our own set of nicknames and terms which have developed over time through our comments and correspondence. Some of these are names of landmarks or terms in cycling; others are nicknames for some of the riders in the pro peloton. While not intended to be offensive or derogatory, the nicknames in the list represent th...

@scaler911's posts:

  1. @Dan_R We do too. But living basically in the middle of 3 million people, in kinda hilly country, means that you have to ride thru town in order to get to the country. »